4th entry: Parts of our digestive system (continued)

I shall continue from my last post.

The Rectum

The rectum is the final part of the large intestine.

It is where faeces is stored before being passed out of the body through the anus.

The Anus

The anus is the opening through which faeces is passed out of the rectum and are gotten rid of from the body. The act of passing faeces out is called a 'bowel movement' or 'opening your bowels'.

The anus is surrounded by very strong sphincter muscles. These muscles normally help to keep the anus closed. It will contract and expand to open the anus for 'bowel movement'.

The Liver

The liver is a huge organ that can weigh up to 3 kg.

The liver produces bile(a dark green digestive liquid produced by the liver), a substance that helps to break down fats. The bile break down the fats into tiny fat droplets. Bile produced in the liver is transferred to the gallbladder where it is stored until needed for digestion

The liver stores iron, vitamin B12 and copper.

Another function of the liver is to make cholesterol and other fats that are needed by the body.

The Gall Bladder

The gallbladder is a small 10 cm long pear-shaped organ.(picture above) It is located near the duodenum and the liver. It's connected to the liver and the duodenum through small tubes.

It's main function is to store bile.

When the bile is stored in the gallbladder, it becomes more concentrated and have more ability to do its work.


Basically, our digestive system are made up of the following organs:

-Mouth ( Teeth, Tongue, Salivary Glands )
-Oesophagus
-Stomach
-Small intestine( Duodenum,Jejunum,Ileum )
-Liver
-Gall Bladder
-Large intestine( Caecum, Appendix, Colon, Rectum)
-Anus


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In our body, there might be disorders in some of our organs. I will talk about them on my next post.


References:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/digestive/color.GIF
http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/sigbio/project/digestive/late/rectum.jpg
http://bettercancersolutions.com/detoxification/liver_diagram.gif
http://www.gesa.org.au/digestive-system/large_intestine.cfm
http://www.gesa.org.au/digestive-system/liver.cfm
http://www.gesa.org.au/digestive-system/gallbladder.cfm
http://www.gesa.org.au/digestive-system/anus.cfm